Bridgeport council sets tax rate

Brian Lockhart

Updated 11:56 pm, Monday, June 3, 2013

BRIDGEPORT -- The City Council on Monday set the new mill rate, fairly comfortable that the state Legislature had restored major losses to aid, but still facing potentially expensive uncertainties over education spending and union concessions.

The council passed a $517 million budget May 13. Monday's vote formalized the new 41.85 mill rate, which will result in a roughly $123 tax increase for the average Bridgeport homeowner.

That's down from the $400 hike Mayor Bill Finch proposed April 1, when envisioning a doomsday scenario of steep losses in state grants in Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget and the elimination of the motor vehicle tax.

The council rolled the dice in several areas. Members anticipated $7.5 million more in state aid. They did not insist on budgeting an additional $3.3 million for education required by the state, but inexplicably left out of the mayor's budget. And they upped Finch's request that employee unions sacrifice $1.6 million in givebacks to $2 million.

By Monday night, it appeared the $7.5 million in state grants -- if not more -- will be heading Bridgeport's way in the budget passed that same evening by the state Senate. The House of Representatives had approved the state budget over the weekend.

"We should be fine with the projections and assumptions that we made," said Councilman Angel dePara Jr., D-136, a council budget committee co-chairman.

In one scenario, the $7.5 million the city had been hoping for from the state looked closer to $9 million.

But Councilman Steven Stafstrom, D-130, whose highly taxed Black Rock neighborhood was up in arms over Finch's budget proposal, said nothing is certain until the Legislature eventually votes on the "implementer" bills that ratify the budget details.

Also, the council had hoped to use $2.4 million in state funds intended for city infrastructure projects to instead pay off debt. But on Monday, Ben Barnes, Malloy's budget chief, said in an interview, "That would be illegal under current law ... I don't understand how they're doing that."

Councilwoman Michelle Lyons, D-134, one of only two members to vote against the budget in May and the new mill rate Monday, said that if the state provides more money to Bridgeport than anticipated, "It would be nice to give a lower (tax) rate to the taxpayers and ask less concessions of the unions."

But Councilwoman Susan Brannelly, D-130, a budget committee chairman, said the more realistic outcome is the extra money would go into the city's general fund.

"We had a tax increase, (so) if we think we can get what we're still asking for (in concessions), we're not backing down from that," she said.

Recent news that the Finch administration last year quietly granted more than $95,000 in raises to mayoral staffers, department heads and some other employees has not helped bring the unions to the bargaining table.

"It's kind of unbelievable," said Valerie Sorrentino, one city union leader. "You find the money to create new positions and give other people raises? What is that?"

Earlier Monday night at a budget forum at Central High School, Bridgeport Superintendent Paul Vallas said negotiations with the city and state over the $3.3 million continue.

"We'll be talking again this week," Vallas said.

Barnes said the city has identified "a consequential" amount of money in in-kind services -- budget areas where the Finch administration has assumed or merged expenses for the schools -- that could count toward the $3.3 million.

"But it hasn't gotten resolved to me yet, at this point," Barnes said.